News story

13th October 2004

MP Hits Out Over Pre-Christmas Post Office Closures

Northavon MP Steve Webb has reacted with anger to the written confirmation that both Hambrook and Frampton Cotterell Post Offices are to close before Christmas. The MP has today (13th October) received a letter from Dave Barrett, Head of Wales and the West at the Post Office, indicating that the Post Office "...have decided that the permanent closure of both branches should proceed". Frampton Cotterell PO will close on 20th November and Hambrook branch will close on 15th November.

Local MP Steve Webb said he was angry not only that the post offices would be closed, but at the timing of the closures. He said:

"Many local people will be dismayed to see that their protests have been ignored and that these two valuable post offices are to close. This will mean real inconvenience for many pensioners, families and people with disabilities. It is particularly crass to close these post offices in the run-up to the busy Christmas period, and shows that the Post Office is more interested in profit than in customer service."

The Post Office claims in its letter to be satisfied "...that we could continue to provide, as a minimum, the current level of service to our customers in this area, with fewer branches". Steve Webb said that he did not see how this could possibly be true, now that people will either have to walk long distances or try to find public transport to alternative post offices.

The MP said that the root of the problem was the Government's decision to force pensioners and benefit recipients to give up their order books and instead to have payment directly into an account. This single change had resulted in a very substantial drop in the income of small sub post offices and had put question marks over their future.

The only consolation in the Post Office's letter was the assurance that there would be "no further closure proposals" under the "Network Reinvention programme" affecting the Northavon constituency. This does not mean that the future of all other post offices is guaranteed, but it does mean that there will be no other closures initiated by the post office.